Photo collection of the new twin 35mm tracked SP-AAA

3 comments:

Radar-guided AAA is still a deadly weapon. This is one of the lesson learn from the Vietnam War. Of the 1,737 American aircrafts shot down during the war, most of them were taken down by the legendary ZSU quad 23mm radar-guided AAA.

Finally, the PLA has an indigenous air-defence weapon that is modern in both concept and construction.

The older twin 25 mm Type 95 SPAAG, lacked both punch and range to be a truly effective weapon.

This new model mounting twin 35 mm guns (hopefully based on the Oerlikon design, but looking like derivatives of the ex-Soviet 30 mm designs) will have longer effective range and deadlier ammunition like AHEAD.

Also the provision of a phased-array search radar and a dedicated engagement radar on board the same vehicle allow for fully autonomous operation.

The guns are a last resort line-of-defence, and the radar setup is adequate to prosecute targets within their effective ranges.

Upgrades to the system would include the provision of a point-defence SAM, probably derived from the QW-series and improvements to the radar and electro-optical tracking system to use them.

This is a much more satisfactory vehicle than the older Type 95 SPAAG.

The only caveat I have is that it still has the one-man operator in the turret - there is no need for him there - he would be more comfortable, effective and better placed in the vehicle body.